Out of Pod Experience

I'm with Malcanis here: the bonds were for $20M at 7% interest, taken out in the immediate wake of the Incarna failure. 7% is almost punitive, and interest rates are at a low ebb. Not retiring that debt--whether by cash payment or more favorable financing--would be more of a sign of trouble.

This looks to me like CCP ridding itself of an expensive exigency. And, just because I like tweaking Jenn, I'll add that this is coming from someone who wants CCP to venture into the land of the 'others'. I just hope they do much better on execution next time, and it looks like execution is much less of a problem for them these days.

I will start with current playerbase.

The game is fun, but can't be played forever with the same set of rules, because it becames less fun, lacks novelty.
CCP tries to hold current people with the game, changing the rules constantly. Trying to rebuild some things, as with new map. Some older players that likes old map don't like that. For them its breaking not upgrading. Considering the time CCP takes to make anything, they could resign and wait until new features are worked on, to subscribe again to a better game. Same could start with sovereignty updates.

Diversity results in ubiquity. Diversifying acquires attention of new customer base.

The new players are scarcer because of other games that have been really huge on budget and lure into them all kind of people, casuals and hardcore players, they are big on playstyles, that is why SC had so much financing. If CCP would like EVE to became a competitor for getting new player they would need to develop new gameplay styles, WIS module with avatar gameplay, but structured with procedural generation and player created assets and gamepley, roleplay, to give people correct implementation of corp skins.

That is how EVE worked for many players before. You could have different playstyles and could switch them. The promise of WIS lured many new players. but they resigned in large part because of WIS not becoming a thing they have seen on former fanfests. and have not been hooked on the EVE features and playstyles. Some of the older players resigned because they feared CCP started to forget completely "spaceships" EVE.

Writing that I am sure, that WIS will not happen, as for corp skins, there is a very minimal chance someone will be so bold to make it a feature, even when thay could take AUR for that service. But WIS will not became a thing, not because "DANCING? NOT IN MY EVE" people. Its CCP decision based on quality of management, human resources and financial resources, and all of those can be "insufficient" while working on Valkyrie.

Future is not what it used to be.

People tend to stick to a more populated games in MMO. More people - more friends - more incentives to spend more time in the game, to hunt, or to talk in chat, or to see people buying your stuff. If the numbers are falling, so are the subscriptions, so is the game revenue. That can cast fear into players that like the game and are afraid of its future, also into company that makes overwhelming part of their money on selling one game.

One of the most underestimated incentives is longevity of the game, so you could develop your avatar for next 3 or 4 years and they unsub and even resub after 10 years to see what has changed. Game can be affected by financial unstability of company that makes the game. If there is no clear message about finances, then people wear tinfoil and expect the worst, some can lose incentive to develop characters in game, or they will go invest more time and money into other game.

Future can be better, can be worse. Turrmoil in finances can be part of the healing factor, can be fight for better future. But it must be announced, not hidden, because hiding it makes people unsure about company incentives.

One is sure, it is constant struggle, from beginning to the end, and there are ups and downs. I would like to see it somewhat brighter in future, even if it must involve dancing and emoting like that.